Airbnb is trialling split payments so you don’t lose friends over your booking

No more IOUs

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Airbnb has started introducing a new feature that allows payment for a property to be split between as many as 16 different accounts, which will be a welcome addition for anyone planning a getaway with a big group of friends.

It’s difficult enough trying to get people to pay you back when you’ve shared a taxi, but when it comes to a holiday property, the sums are bigger and bank transfers are a hassle.

Even with the developments in peer to peer payments with companies like Venmo, the process of getting your money back is still more than a little like herding cats.

There’s the ‘do you have change’ friend, the ‘I thought that was the right amount’ friend, and there’s always the friend that ‘forgets’ so many times that they start getting annoyed at you for reminding them about not having paid yet.

Making payment less painful

This new feature takes away all that hassle, and it also means that one person isn’t being saddled with the burden of making a hefty initial down payment. This could also be a boon for property owners, allowing more expensive properties that a single person wouldn’t have been able to afford to make payment on to be comfortably split.

This is the latest in a series of improvements that Airbnb is making in its payment practices. Earlier in the year, it rolled out the ability to divide payments into a deposit and then a later installment rather than having to stump up the entire amount upfront.

The new split payment option is currently only available on a few properties. According to an Airbnb spokesperson: “This is a small, initial pilot — our goal is to make it even easier to use Airbnb to travel with friends and family.”

Hopefully we’ll see a full global rollout soon. As soon as we know any more about it, we’ll let you know.